Trek to Lopes Mendes

What´s the point of going to the gym three times a week if I´m still going to struggle up hills?

Woke up this morning to blue skies and bright sunshine. Great day for a 2-3 hour trek to the ´most beautiful Brazilian beach.´ Definitely up for that.

After a healthy breakfast of fruit and muesli I´m off but suffering as soon as I leave the beach to start the climb into the forest hills. It´s wet, slippery and humid, there are rocks and a vast network of tree roots to negotiate - and of course it´s all uphill for the first 40 minutes. 30 minutes in there´s the small consolation of a great vantage point of Abraao bay, where I´m staying.

The descent begins shortly afterwards and I can now hear the ocean. Blimey I did that quickly I think as it´s only been an hour. I walk on to the beach and think this is nice but my expectations are high after my arduous walk so I´m slightly disappointed. I ask a local if this is Lopes Mendes but he says it´s another 40 minutes away and points to the end of the beach and mumbles something in Portuguese. I walk to the end of the beach and decide to ask someone else as I´ve no idea where to go. He says it´s over the mountain and points to a high ridge.

I think about cheating and getting the boat - but no I´ll miss out on all the nature and great views so I struggle up the hill again wondering if everyone´s suffering or if it´s just me. Several people have passed me enroute which depresses me. My only thought at this point is that what goes up must come down and in 40 minutes I´m at the beach again. Hoorah. But it´s still not the right beach. My (paradise) beach is still two beaches away. I now begin to think my planned treks in Torres del Paine and Macchu Picchu are a bad idea. I´ll never make it.

A local says he´s seen me before and I think ´yeah right whatever, just tell me how to get to Lopes Mendes´. But he has seen me - the previous night in Abraao. He tells me to follow the trail and I´ll arrive at my beach.

´How long will it take´ I ask?

´15 minutes, but for you 30´ he replies.

What? Can he tell I´m chronically unfit?

Anyway, I persevere up another (short thankfully) hill and arrive at the holy grail. It´s taken me almost three hours, although I did stop to take photos along the way.

The beach is long and wide with big crashing waves and crystal clear water. Nice - but I´m not sure I´d rate it as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.